Stress relief by conscious breathing

Every day I hear stories of how stressed people are. The demands of life can be overwhelming. People often inwardly clench and pull their shoulders up to their ears.

There are some nice “tools” to help you manage the stress. One of those is conscious breathing, which is breathing with the intent of relaxing. I encourage people daily to find time to let go of stress. It can be at the workplace, in the car, in the bathroom, or wherever you can make time for a few minutes to de-stress.

It is a simple thing to do, but many of us don’t realize we are breathing shallow, which causes us not to get oxygenated well.

It starts by taking a deep breath, slowly breathing in through the nose, to the count of 4, filling the belly all the way. Then, just as slowly, exhale out to the count of 5. It is a simple thing to do but a very effective way to center yourself and to let loose of stress.